ARMSTRONG, Frank, III 1944(?)–

PERSONAL: Born c. 1944; married, wife's name Gabriele. Education: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, B.A., 1966.

ADDRESSES: Home—Coconut Grove, FL. Office—Investor Solutions Inc., 3250 Mary St., Ste. 207, Coconut Grove, FL 33133.

CAREER: Financial advisor and writer. Commercial pilot for Eastern Airlines; insurance agent for Connecticut General Life, beginning 1973; cofounder, Moring-Armstrong & Co. (investment advisor firm), 1984; founder and president, Investor Solutions Inc., 1992–. Military service: U.S. Air Force, 1966–72; served in Vietnam.

WRITINGS:

The Informed Investor: A Hype-free Guide to Constructing a Sound Financial Portfolio, AMACOM (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Author Frank Armstrong III has spent more than twenty-five years as an investment advisor. He grew up in Connecticut and Virginia, graduating from the University of Virginia in 1966 with an undergraduate degree in economics and business. After graduation, he enlisted with the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam, flying 400 combat missions as a pilot. After he left the Air Force in 1972, he worked as a commercial pilot with Eastern Airlines. During that same period, he also worked as an insurance agent for Connecticut General Life. Armstrong's tenure as a financial advisor began in 1984, when he cofounded Moring-Armstrong & Co., a registered investment advisor firm. Eight years later, he founded Investor Solutions Inc., a fee-based investment firm specializing in practical finance applications. Armstrong has also appeared on various television programs and has lectured nationwide on investment management.

In 2002 Armstrong published The Informed Investor: A Hype-free Guide to Constructing a Sound Financial Portfolio. The book serves as a practical guide to investments for people who do not have a background in finance. Armstrong explains the basics of financial economics and shows readers how to develop personal investment strategies. To build a diverse portfolio, he advises focusing on asset allocation and considering mutual funds.

Overall critics and readers responded positively to The Informed Investor. Many acknowledged Armstrong's efforts to make a complex topic accessible to readers who have no financial background. In a review for the Library Journal, Bellinda Wise wrote that "this book offers the average investor an adequate background in how to formulate a meaningful investment plan." Other critics commented on the author's positive and practical advice. The Informed Investor "guides readers through the basics of investing with a reassuring tone and a relatively conservative long-term strategy," observed a Publishers Weekly contributor.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Business Week, August 12, 2002, Robert Barker, review of The Informed Investor: A Hype-free Guide to Constructing a Sound Financial Portfolio, p. 110.

Library Journal, March 15, 2002, Bellinda Wise, review of The Informed Investor, p. 90.

Practical Accountant, March, 2002, "No Net Gift as Obligation Speculative," p. 14.

Publishers Weekly, February 11, 2002, review of The Informed Investor, p. 178.

ONLINE

800-CEO-READ, http://www.800ceoread.com/ (April 18, 2005), author profile.

American Management Association Web site, http://www.amanet.org/ (May 28, 2002), "Frank Armstrong III."

Business Week Online, http://www.businessweek.com/ (June 7, 2002), Robert Barker, "No-Hype Investment Advice: That's Author/Portfolio Manager Frank Armstrong's Sales Pitch."

Investor Solutions Inc. Web site, http://www.investorsolutions.com/ (May 28, 2002), "Frank Armstrong III."